Spoke-support.



L. H. NORTH &. H. G. DECKER.

SPOKE SUPPORT. AEPLIOATION I ILED MAY 19, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

will more fully appear as the description LYMAN H. NORTH AND HARBY U. DECKER, OF CASTLE, OKLAHOMA.

sroKn-surron'r.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Application filed May 19, 1910. Serial no. 562,262.

To all whom it mayconcern: I Be it known that we, LYMAN H. NoR'n-r and HARRY C. DECKER, citizens of the United States, both residing at Castle, in the county of Okfuskee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Spoke-Supports, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

The object" of the present invention is a spoke support including a clip adapted to be secured to the felly of the wheel, and a tubular socket rigid with the clip and arranged to receive the outer end of the spoke, the support holding thespoke firmly in engagement with the felly and serving to reinforce the wheel at this point, whereby to materially increase the rigidity and durability of the structure.

' A further object of the invention is a device of this character which is designed particularl for use in repairing old wheels, and Whlch is composed of separate co-acting .sections, so as to render the support susceptible of being expeditiously applied to an old wheel without the necessity of separating the felly from the spoke or in anywise changing the structure of the wheel, the sections of the support being positively held in association in a novel manner.

\Vith these and other-objects in View that proceeds; the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts that we shall hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novel features of in the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in

which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the application of our improved spoke support; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1 Fig. iis a perspective View of one of the mating sections detached; Fig-5 illustrates another form of connection between the mating sections; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6.-.6 of'Fig. 5;

'Fig. 7 is adetail perspective view of one of theseparate tongues employed in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6; and, Fig. 8 illustrates a still further embodiment of the invention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following descriptionand lndicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the felly of a wheel of the usual construction, and 2 designates one of the spokes of the wheel. Our invention relates particularly to an improved support through the medium of which the spoke and felly are connected.

The support is bisected in the plane of the wheel to form substantially duplicate mating sect-ions 3- which are entirely separate and are arranged, when placed side by side, to co-act to provide a tubular socket 4 and a clip 5. The clip is arranged to embrace the felly 1 and includes a base plate (iwhich bears against the inner face of the felly,

and side flanges'or jaws 7 which fit against the sides of the felly. The side flanges are connected by means of rivets 8, that are passed transversely through the felly and through the registering openings 9 in the flanges, it being understood however that bolts-or like fastening devices may be employed in lieu of the rivets. The rivets positively attach the clip to the felly,.and also serve to hold the side flanges against the sides thereof. The ofiice of the side flanges is to hold the clip against lateral displacement with respect to the felly and also to brace the folly against possible splitting.

The tubular socket 4 projects radially inwardly from the base plate toward the hub of the wheel and receives the outer endportion of the spoke 2. The tubular socket preferably opens through the base plate so that the extremity of the spoke may be arranged in abutting relation to the inner faceof the felly or may be fitted in a bore therein, according as desired. The socket, of course, positively holds the spoke against accidental disconnection from the -felly.

The sections of the socket are held in association by being tied together at their meeting edges, this having been found particularly desirable in practice since the connecting means does not pass through the spoke and therefore has no tendency to weaken the same. In one formof the invention, the sections of the socket have an interlocking connection which is effected through the medium of a plurality ofbendable tongues 10 which extend across the meeting edges of the sections, each tongue being integral With one of'the sections and bein ada )ted to be bent into enga ement s l s b with a slot 11 tbrmed in proximity to the meeting edge of the other section. In the present instance We haveo'nly shown two of use, of only two tongues, but may. employ spoke;

any desired number of tongues along the meeting edges of the sections. Attention is here directed tolthe fact that the meeting edges of the sections arefiared toward the inner end of the socket, as indicated atl2,

so as to enable the socket to receive spokes of different sizes and to permit the inner ends of the sections to be drawn together by the tongues to secure a firm purchase on the (See Fig. 3.) 1

In practice the support may be easily and quickly applied to a Wheel by merely placingthe mating sections in co-aetive position against opposite sides of the telly and the spoke, the rivets Sand the tongues 10 being applied to hold the sections in association. The metal forming the sections is preferably bendable inorderto permit the sec tions to be bent With a hammer or tlielike to conform to the contour of and to fitsnugly against the parts of the Wheel. The

' metalformingthe sections 3 is preferably thickest at the juncture of the socket and the clip so as to materially reinforce the Wheel at the joint between the spoke and the felly;,Which=isusually theWeakeSt point of I the Wheel.

It-Will be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to both new and old Wheels; and thht in the latter instance; it

lmay be advantageously employed for repairing a broken heel to materially lengthen its life. Furthermore the' present 'inven;

'tion is quite simple and durable, and may be.-

. easily and-cheaply manufactured, and peesesses certain. other advantages that will be at once apparent to those persons familiar With the art to which the invention apper- Y oftheir meeting edges With slots 11, as best illustrated in. Figs. 5 and 6. The connection between the sections is effected through the arate from both sections. "The tongue eki;

tends across the meeting edges of the sec' tions with its ends passing; outwardly through the adjacent slots 11, oneen dof the tongue being enlarged to form a head M that bears against the periphery of the socket to prevent 'the tongue from being Withdrawn from the slots'in one direction,

provide the spoke socket P and the'fell'y clip 5. In other respects, this form of the. '1 f invention is substantially similar .to thesupport'lie 'einbefore described. j

Having thus described the inventlomvvhati;

We claim is it spoke support comprising a tubular);

spoke socket, a telly clip provided at one end of the socket, the .socketand clip being.

bisected longitudinally to form separate cos acting sections, and bendable tongues de-" tachably connecting the sections together, each tongue'extending across the meeting edges ofthesections and lying fiat against theperiphery thereof.

Intestimony whereof, We alfix' onrsigna vtures'in presence oftwo Witnesses. [L. -s'.]-

HARRY C. DECKER. s1

[LYMAN H. NORTH.

- Witnesses:

" J. E. EASTMAN,- T. E. ELLIOTT.

Gepies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ,Iatents,

. .Washington, 8; i I

55 medium of a pliable tongue 18 that is-sep 

